The Little Pleasures
It's all about the attitude. Sometimes in the chemo waiting room — not a happy place at the best of times — I can tell who's given up. You can see it in their faces, in their body language, even in their skin color. I don't blame them. God knows there have been days where I've felt like that. But I think that if you really do give up, then it's over.
Not that a good attitude is enough to cure you. It's not. But there is a sense among cancer patients that the disease is somehow sensitive to things like attitude. If you fight, then you have a better chance of winning.
Now I haven't given up. And I hope that my cancer cells die a slow and painful death. I want them to suffer. I hope they can sense that somehow. They deserve no mercy.
But what else can you do to better your odds? A lot of people talk about diet. No more red meat. Lots of raw foods or vegetables. One man wrote in to suggest that I eat a lot more soy. Beans, milk, and so on. While I appreciate his advice, (even he seemed less than enthusiastic about the taste of those things) I don't think I'm going to follow it.
I do exercise. I try to walk five miles several times a week. I do Tai Chi, which to my surprise, is less about being calm and all that, and more about beating people up. I didn't know that before I started taking classes.
But I'm not going to change my diet. Eating well is one of life's great pleasures. A great bottle of wine. A nice meal. A great big greasy cheeseburger. I'm not willing to give that up. Maybe it would be better for me healthwise if I did, but I'm not willing to give up any more of my life to the cancer. That's where I draw the line.
If someone told me that I would live another month if I never had a hot fudge sundae again, well, you can probably guess what my decision would be. Cancer takes so much away from all of us, but we have to hold on to the little pleasures. Because, let's face it, when you don't feel well because of the chemo and you're depressed about the future and you just want to scream, well, a hot fudge sundae or a cheeseburger or whatever your favorite food vice may be — those things can go a long way towards cheering you up. And they're also a reminder that our lives do go on. That we haven't lost everything.
I found that when I felt really nauseous from the chemo, chocolate helped calm my stomach. Okay, confession time. I'm a major chocaholic, so maybe I just used that as an excuse. But whatever the reason, I felt better.
So my advice is go ahead, indulge yourself. For those of you who are friends or loved ones of cancer patients, every once in a while, get them something that maybe you don't think they should have. They'll love you for it. And yes, I think I will have fries with that.
6:44 AM ET | 07- 6-2006 | permalink
